If You Love Someone, Let Them Go
by Katniss730
Summary: Post - 'The Body in the Bounty': Cam confronts Booth about his relationship with Hannah. Spoilers 6x05. B&B!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a short one shot set a few days after **_**The Body in the Bounty**_** (great episode!). There are spoilers through that episode but not beyond. Depending on the response, I might consider expanding this into a two or three shot.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Bones**_**.**

Seeley Booth sat at his desk absently flipping through a file when someone burst into his office.

"Cam," he said with surprise, "Did Angela get an ID?"

"No, she's still working on the facial reconstruction."

Slightly perplexed Booth said, "Okay, so are you just visiting then?"

Cam paced for a moment before taking the seat facing Booth's desk, "Yes. No, I – what is this thing with Hannah?"

Booth looked at her wide-eyed. He suspected the direction this conversation might take, and frankly, he wasn't interested.

"What do you mean this "thing" with Hannah? She's my girlfriend, my _live in_ girlfriend."

"Yeah, Seeley, I kind of got that when I helped her move in. I mean, when is this "make Brennan jealous" charade going to end?"

Booth stood up abruptly and growled, "There is no charade, _Camille_."

"Yeah, well, you could have fooled me, Booth. Since the day you got back, you've been rubbing Brennan's nose in it. I presume you are trying to show her what you and she could have had."

"Bones is my friend, that's all. Whatever might have been is in the past - that ship sailed," Booth said plopping down in his desk chair.

"Then why did you look like a lovesick puppy when she gave you a thumbs up with those ridiculous cartoon hands?"

Booth opened his mouth to speak then closed it again.

"I know you aren't the type to be careless with people's hearts, Seeley. But what you are doing to Hannah and Brennan, it isn't fair."

"It isn't fair to Bones that I love Hannah?" Booth scoffed.

"You don't love Hannah," Cam asserted, putting up a hand to stop Booth's protest, "I don't doubt that you care about her and enjoy spending time with her, but you don't love her. No one gets over someone they've been in love with for seven years in seven months, especially not you, Booth."

When Booth didn't respond, Cam continued, "I don't know what happened between you and Dr. Brennan before you went your separate ways in the spring. But we all saw the two of you that day at the airport; I've never seen two people trying so hard to keep themselves from one another."

"She said 'no'," Booth said quietly, "I asked her to give us a shot, and Bones said 'no'."

Cam looked at his sympathetically, "Did she really say no? Or did she give you a litany of excuses?"

"She said that she didn't have an open heart; that I needed protecting from her"

"Which you know isn't true," Cam stated, "What did you say?"

Booth look down at his desk, and Cam thought she saw tears welling in his eyes. The pain in her friend's eyes broke her heart. She considered turning around and pretending she'd never begun this conversation, but there was no turning back now.

"I told I her I knew, always knew from the very beginning."

"Knew what?" Cam prodded.

Booth lifted his eyes up to his friend, "That I love her!"

He pounded his fist against his desk blotter.

"That's she the one," Booth said, his voice escalating, "even though we seem all wrong for each other, she's the only goddamn one for me. That she ruined me for other women."

Booth dropped his head, and Cam approached where he stood. She her placed hand on his back.

Softly, soothingly, Cam asked, "Did you tell her that? Did you tell her you love her?"

Booth's eyes widened. He had gone over the conversation a thousand times in his head, yet he'd never realized. He hadn't told Bones he loves her.

"No, I didn't."

"She needs to hear it, Seeley."

Booth shook his head, "Does it really matter? Bones already said she doesn't want to be with me."

"But she was with you, Booth. All the time for six years. You and Brennan spent more time together than most married couples."

"I know that, Cam, but Bones doesn't want to be with me the way Hannah is with me."

Cam shook her head dismissively, "Did you really expect Dr. Brennan to jump at the chance for a romantic relationship with one of the few people in her life that she couldn't imagine losing?"

Booth raked his hand through his hard. He knew Cam had a point, a _good_ point.

"She came back for you," Cam stated.

Booth laughed wryly, "No, she didn't, Cam. As a matter of fact, she came back for _you_."

"Bones didn't even bother to call me for seven months," Booth added sadly.

"Well, I am not condoning _that_. But, my, um, predicament only brought her back to the States. Dr. Brennan chose to stay, to go back to the life she'd run away to Indonesia to escape from, for you, Booth."

"No, she didn't. Bones decided that this was 'the best way to allocate her considerable talent' or something like that."

Cam chuckled. Yeah, that sounded like Dr. Brennan. At first, that was all she'd seen her as – an egotistical, socially awkward lab rat. Now, four years later, she counted Brennan among her closest friends.

"When I first came to the Jeffersonian, I asked you why Dr. Brennan hadn't confronted me about getting the job. Do you remember what you told me?"

"Could we reminisce some other time, Cam?" Booth asked with a heavy sigh.

Ignoring his remark, Cam recited, "You said, 'Have you seen how she stares at human remains before she makes a decision? You're human remains, and she hasn't made a decision yet."

Booth smiled, "Yeah, I remember."

"Yeah, well, this time you were the human remains, Seeley. Doctor Brennan spent seven months making a decision about you."

Booth furrowed his brow, his interest piqued.

Cam looked him directly in the eyes and said, "It's like that saying, 'If you love somebody, let them go. If they return, they were always yours. If they don't, they never were.'."

"Brennan returned to you. Now, she is waiting to see if you do the same."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I was completely BLOWN AWAY by the response I got to this story. So, at the behest of many reviewers, I am going to make this a three shot. I hope that everyone will review this chapter too! Lots of reviews motivate me to dedicate more time to writing!

It had been three weeks since his conversation with Cam, the conversation that continuously ran through Booth's head like ticker tape.

It had been sixteen days since Hannah suffered a gun shot wound to the thigh. The injury wasn't as serious as originally thought. With the help of Bones' expertise, they'd determined that the bullet had merely nicked Hannah's femur without fracturing it. After a brief hospital stay, Hannah returned to Booth apartment, able to walk with the aid of crutches. Her convalescence meant Booth spent little to no time with Bones outside of work, and he found himself resenting Hannah for that.

Tonight was another in a string of many sleepless nights for Booth, his mind working tirelessly on the quandary at hand. He had crept out of bed quietly, as not to wake Hannah, and sat on the living room couch. Booth pulled a box of photos that he had stashed in his entertainment center alongside some VHS tapes that he couldn't manage to part with. He retrieved a photo of him and Bones taken at the reopening of the Egyptian exhibit a year prior. Booth sat for a moment just staring at the photo, conjuring up the memory of that night. They had felt like a couple that night.

"Seeley, what are you doing up?" asked a bleary eyed Hannah, limping slightly.

Booth jump and quickly slid the picture under some papers on the coffee table.

Booth considered his answer carefully before responding. He could tell her that he'd needed to use the bathroom or heard a suspicious noise that needed investigating. Instead, he told her the truth.

"Just thinking."

Hannah nodded sadly, "About us?"

"Yes," Booth replied softly.

"It's not me it's you, right?" Hannah said with a self deprecating smile.

"It's not you," Booth said adamantly.

"No, it never was, not since I came back to the States, that is."

Booth looked at her, puzzled.

"This is about Temperance, right?"

Booth's eyes widened. Of course, Hannah had noticed. She was a journalist; she made her living observing. Yet, Hannah had chosen to stay. She had gambled on him and hadn't been ready to give up on her bet yet.

"Yes," Booth replied.

"When you told me about her in Afghanistan, I didn't think it odd that your best friend was a woman. I figured that Temperance was like me, a man's woman. I have always had more male friends, but I don't look at any of them the way Temperance looks at you."

"What?" Booth asked incredulously.

Booth had anticipated a biting comment about - how had Cam put it? – him looking like a "lovesick puppy" in Bones' presence.

"Do you really not see it?" Hannah asked, laughing dismissively.

Booth shook his head tentatively.

"When I asked her advice about a house warming gift for you, she looked like someone had just run over her dog."

"But she told you about the phone anyway?" Booth inquired.

"Yes, she was so animated talking about that damn phone, it almost seemed wrong for it to come from me rather than her."

Booth thought back to when Hannah had presented him with the phone or rather when he'd taken notice of it in his living room. She had given Bones credit for the idea, and when he thanked Hannah for the phone, two voices said "You're welcome."

"Temperance asked me to be certain before moving in with you. She said that you would give yourself to me completely, and it would be painful for you if I wasn't serious about the relationship when you were."

Booth dropped his head. He could see tears beginning to form in Hannah's eyes.

"She had no idea how wrong she was," Hannah said with a resigned sigh, "Temperance didn't know that couldn't give yourself to me. You already belong to her."

"I'm sorry, Hannah. I'm so sorry," Booth said reaching for her hand.

Hannah pulled her hand away, "I know you are, Seeley."

She stood and said, "I will leave in the morning."

Booth nodded, "You can stay longer if you want to. I can stay with Jared or at a hotel."

"Don't be ridiculous. I probably never should have come barging in on your life in D.C. anyway," Hannah said bitterly.

"You didn't barge in," Booth insisted.

Though, in a way, she had. He couldn't have been more surprised when Hannah had shown up at the diner two months ago. Despite what he'd told Bones – and everyone else, what he'd had with Hannah in Afghanistan was little more than a fling. He had enjoyed her companionship, but he'd never really expected to see her again.

"Do you think if we'd stayed – you know what? Never mind. It doesn't matter. Like I said, I will be gone in the morning," Hannah said before retreating to the bedroom.

Booth buried his face in his hands. Cam had been right; he wasn't one to be careless with other people's hearts, but that is exactly what he'd done. Now, Booth needed to atone for that. He didn't know exactly how, but he would repair what he'd broken in at least one case.

The next morning Booth awoke crammed in Parker's bed. He stumbled groggily into the living room. On the coffee table, Booth found a note in Hannah's familiar loopy handwriting.

"Seeley – Tell everyone at the Jeffersonian that I said goodbye. Don't fuck it up with Temperance."

The note was stuck to the photograph he'd been looking at last night. Booth crumpled up the post-it note and threw it in the waste basket.

"I won't," he said aloud.


	3. Chapter 3

Booth rapped lightly on the door in front of him. He knew the woman on the other side wouldn't be pleased to see him at this hour of the morning.

"Seeley?" said a groggy and irritated Cam, "It is 6:50 in the morning. I had ten more minutes to sleep before my alarm went off. This had better be important."

"I need the key to Bones' office," Booth said without preamble.

"Why?"

"I broke up with Hannah last night."

"Oh!" Cam said needing no further explanation and retreating to where she kept her purse.

She rooted through her purse for her keys. Once she found them, Cam removed the requested key from the ring.

She held it out to Booth then quickly snatched it back, "What are you planning to do? Don't fill her office with flowers or anything."

Booth laughed, "No. I – I just want to talk to her before there is a whole lab full of people."

Cam nodded and surrendered the key.

Booth gave her a quick peck on the cheek, "Thanks, Cam. I owe you."

"You bet you do," Cam said with a smile, "Go get her, Seeley."

Booth waited nervously in Brennan's office. He glanced at his watch. 7:25. Bones usually came into the office at 7:30, eight at the latest. As he waited, Booth mentally scripted the conversation that he would have with Bones. He knew her so well, yet, he wasn't sure what sort of response to expect from Bones. Booth feared the sins he committed against her were unforgiveable.

While Booth's thoughts raced, Bones walked into her office muttering softly to herself.

"Hey, Bones," Booth said causing a startled Bones to nearly smack into her desk.

"Booth!" she exclaimed, "What are you doing in my office? Do we have a case?"

"Um, no, but I brought coffee," Booth said with a charming smile.

"How did you get in here?" Bones asked casting him a suspicious glance.

"Cam," Booth explained succinctly.

"Cam let you into my office to bring me coffee?"

"Yeah, well, that and to talk," Booth said patting the seat beside him.

Bones approached warily, "Talk about what?"

Booth took a deep breath, "Bones, I owe you an apology."

"You do?" Bones asked.

Booth nodded adamantly, "Yeah, I do. You are my best friend, and I have neglected you since I got back from Afghanistan."

"Booth, it is understandable that you would want to spend time with the individual you have chosen as your mate. It is my understanding that people frequently have decreased contact with their friends when engaged in a committed relationship."

Booth shook his head, "No, that isn't how it should be at all, Bones."

Bones shrugged, "I will defer to your opinion on the subject, and I accept your apology, Booth. I do miss the time we used to spend together."

"Me too, Bones."

"Was that all you had to say?" she asked, "It doesn't seem that conversation warranted breaking into my office."

"Hey! I didn't break it; I had a key."

Bones smiled, "Breaking in with administrative assistance."

Booth chuckled. He hadn't realized exactly how much he missed being the one who put a smile on her face.

"No, that wasn't all. Hannah and I broke up last night."

"Oh, Booth, I'm sorry. With the emphasis that you place on romantic relationships, I am sure this is difficult for you. I know how much you cared for Hannah."

Booth saw an emotion he couldn't qualify flash across her face.

"No, Bones. I broke up with Hannah."

"Why?"

"Hannah deserved someone whose heart was theirs to give away," Booth said softly.

"And your metaphorical heart is not yours to give away?" Bones asked with what seemed like a glimmer of hope in her voice.

"No, it hasn't been for some time."

Bones remained silent, and the conversation Booth had scripted went out the window.

"Bones, last spring when I asked you to give us a shot, I did it all wrong. I put it out there, and when you gave me your reasons, I didn't refute them. I didn't tell you that you _do_ have an open heart. God, Bones, I could give you a thousand examples – attending – an even paying for - funerals for victims, staying by my side during my surgery, offering up yourself as a murder suspect to save your father. Hell, just a month ago, you donned that ridiculous Bone Lady costume because your best friend said it would endear you to her unborn child."

Booth leaned a little closer to her and took her hand, half expecting her to pull it from his grasp. He was pleasantly surprised when she didn't.

Booth ran his fingertips over her knuckles and continued, "And you have changed, Bones. You've changed a lot, but I don't need you to change. I want the woman who is sitting in front of my right now. I should have told you that last year, but instead, I slinked away like a wounded animal. Not this time. This time, Bones, I am going all in."

Bones still hadn't said a word in response, her eyes downcast.

"Bones, last time, I left out something important, something I think you need to hear," Booth tipped her chin up with his finger, forcing her crystal blue eyes to meet his, "I love you, Temperance."

Bones' eyes glistened with tears, "You love me?"

"Oh Bones, I love you with all my heart. I have for a long time and will for a long _long_ time from now."

"But Hannah, you told me that you loved Hannah," Bones countered torn between her fear and desperately wanting the words Booth has just spoken to be true.

Booth shook his head, tears now pricking at the corners of his eyes. Cam had been right. Hannah had been right. How could he have not seen how he was hurting Bones?

"I lied. I cared about Hannah, but I never loved her. I was trying to convince myself that I could move on, like I had told you I would. I was hurt, Bones, but it doesn't excuse the way I acted towards you. I hurt you, and I don't think I can ever forgive myself for that. I just hope I haven't lost your trust."

Bones shook her head, "You haven't, Booth."

Booth smiled and brought his hands up to frame her face, "I will make it up to you, I promise. Bones, I want to be with you, whatever that looks like. If you need time, I'll wait -."

"You don't have to wait," Bones interjected, smiling despite the tears streaming down her face, "I want to be with you too, Booth. I want to give _us_ a shot. Although I have no point of comparison, I am fairly certain that I love you."

Booth laughed, tears pooling in his eyes, "Fairly certain is enough for me, Bones."

Bones laughed in return, drying her tears with her shirt sleeve.

"I feel like I want to kiss you," Booth said before leaning in pressing his lips gently against hers.

This time she didn't push him away. Instead of tensing, her body seemed to melt into his.

Booth had kissed this woman three times before, but this kiss was different. Her lips were still soft, and when their tongues met, she still tasted as sweet as he remembered. This kiss, unlike the others, wasn't borne of lust, need, or desperation; it was a promise between two friends crossing the threshold between friendship and romance. When they broke apart, Bones rested her head on Booth shoulder, while he held her tightly.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear, "I could hold you like this forever."

Bones nodded against his shoulder. For once, she gave no thought to the work that awaited her. The world around them seemed to slip away. There was just the two of them; safe, loved in one another's arms.

Outside the glass walls, a group of friends and curious lab personnel had gathered. Their close friends all wore smiles.

Cam turned to Angela, "Okay, that was worth being woken up early for."

_A/N: Okay, so there is going to be one more chapter. After all, no B&B finally getting together story is complete without consummating the relationship, right? __ So, the next chapter might be T+, but not M. I don't write smut, as I have absolutely no talent for it!_

_Reviews are greatly appreciated!_

_In the mean time, I recommend checking out "Prismatic" by only-more-love. It is a well crafted one shot._


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: This ended up being a bit more 'M' than I'd initially intended. I hope it doesn't offend anyone._

_Without further adieu, here is the final chapter… _

Booth picked Bones up for dinner after an excruciating eight hours spent apart. During those hours, Booth contemplated what would happen next, how they would take the bold step of obliterating the line he'd drawn many years ago. For almost seven years, Booth had imagined what taking that step might look like. He'd dreamt of being the one that she got dressed up for, rather than some other guy who failed to recognize the treasure before him; of having the privilege of reaching across the table to hold her hand; of holding her while she slept after they made love for the first time. But, of course, nothing with Temperance Brennan had ever gone according to Booth's plan, not from the second he walked into that lecture hall seven years ago.

Instead of a romantic dinner, they shared a meal at the diner, as they'd done many time before. They bickered over pie, and Bones ate half of his French fries. It was the same yet different all at once.

When the meal was over and the check paid, Bones asked, almost shyly, "Do you want to come back to my place?"

Booth struggled to formulate a response to her question. The answer was of course, yes, a million times over.

"Yes, I would love to but-."

Bones frowned at the sound of the last word.

"- I think we both know what will happen."

"You mean that we will have sexual intercourse?" Bones confirmed matter-of-factly.

Booth laughed nervously, "Yeah, that's what I mean."

Booth took her hand, feeling the wooly fabric of her mittens, "I would like to do this right, Bones. You deserve a fancy dinner out, where we get dressed up; I bring flowers, and buy you an overpriced glass of wine."

Bones considered his statement for a moment, "If you think that's necessary."

Booth chuckled, "Well, I don't want to torture you."

"No, that sounds lovely, just unnecessary, Booth. Aside from the part about the flowers, we have been doing that for years. I know that you value romance, and if you feel the need to set the appropriate romantic scene before sleeping together, that would be acceptable to me."

Booth smiled and took her other mitten-clad hand, "Why don't we just start with a glass of wine at your place?"

Truthfully, he found the thought of not spending the next several hours with her intolerable. They'd spent too much time apart. Whether they spent the evening making love or bickering, if he was with Bones, it didn't' matter.

"That sounds like an excellent compromise," Bones said with a smile.

"But, we will have that first date some day _very_ soon, flowers, fancy dinner, the whole nine yards," Booth said, leaning in to kiss her lightly.

Having the privilege of kissing her was quickly rising to the top of Booth's list of favorite things.

"Okay," Bones agreed.

Booth entered Bones' apartment filled with expectation. He hadn't crossed her threshold in some time, yet he still felt at home at there. When Bones retreated to the kitchen for a glass of wine, she returned with his favorite beer in hand. She'd kept her fridge stocked for him; the thought saddened him a bit.

Bones sat beside him on the couch and lifted her wine glass, "Cheers."

"To us," Booth said his beer clinking against her glass.

"To what we're becoming," Bones added before taking a sip of her Merlot.

When she returned her glass to the coffee table, Booth brushed his hand along her soft cheek. Bones responded by pulling him in for a kiss. Once his fingertips felt the soft skin of her neck, Booth knew that he wouldn't be satisfied until he'd touched, kissed, and tasted every inch of her.

"Bones," Booth uttered longingly as he moved his lips to the delicate hollow of her neck.

"Booth," she moaned in response, threading her hands in her hair.

Booth lifted his eyes up to her, "Are you sure about this? We can't turn back once -."

"I don't want to turn back," she affirmed.

"Neither do I," Booth said with a smile.

Bones rose and took Booth's hand, leading him into her bedroom. She laid down on the bed, and he laid beside her. For a moment, he just gazed into her crystal blue eyes, as her sweet scent wafted through his nostrils. Booth's lips returned to the hollow of her neck sucking gently on the soft flesh there. As Booth's lips and hands continued their decent, Bones untucked his dress shirt. Booth shivered as her delicate finger snaked up his torso. After emitting a soft groan, Booth's fingers brushed the hint of cleavage exposed by her blouse. He slowly unbuttoned the garment, exposing her inch by inch.

"You're beautiful, Bones. So beautiful," Booth said breathlessly.

Bones smiled shyly. She sat up, shrugging the blouse off her shoulders.

Booth eyes were drawn to the small line on her hip, marring the otherwise flawless canvas of her milky skin.

He ran his hand over a small scar, "What happened?"

"One of my foster 'brothers' tried to touch me, so I punched him. He retaliated by stabbing me with a pen."

Booth winced and let his lips linger on the spot, "I'm sorry. No one will ever hurt you like that again."

"You can't promise that Booth," Bones replied.

"We'll see about that."

With each successive article of clothing shed, Booth memorized each spot that made her moan with pleasure. He cupped her breasts, testing their weight in hands, as she arched into his touch. Booth whispered her name like a prayer before encircling her pink nipples with his tongue.

"Booth," she moaned, moving his hand to where she longed for his mouth to travel next.

Booth smiled, eager to please her. After pressing a moist kiss to her taut stomach, Booth moved his tongue rhythmically against her core. As a wave of pleasure crested over her, he slid inside her. Their lovemaking was gentle, yet uninhibited and passionate. When Bones trembled with pleasure and his name crossed her lips, Booth knew he'd showed her the difference between sex and making love.

After their mutual climaxes, Bones and Booth held one another in contented silence.

Bones looked up at him, "If that is what you meant when you said you would 'make it up to me' then you have may continue doing so," she said with an amused smile.

Booth laughed, "Though I plan to make it up to you in that way many, _many _times, that's not what I meant. I promise to love you for 30, 40, or 50 years – however long you'll let me. I will show you that love is transcendent and eternal. I will be by your side whenever you need me, even when you think you don't."

"I am afraid I am going to mess this up," Bones said, her voice catching in her throat.

"You won't," Booth affirmed, "I won't let you."

"I can't lose you, Booth. You're my best friend. Being apart for seven months, I realized that as irrational as it is, I – I can't live without you," Bones sobbed, opening a floodgate of emotion.

"Oh, baby, you won't lose me. It might not always easy, but we'll make it work. You're it for me, Bones. You're the _one_. You always were, always will be," Booth said tenderly wiping away her tears with his thumb.

"I missed you tremendously when I was in Maluku," Bones confessed, trying to regain her composure.

"Then why didn't you call?" Booth said, finally giving the question that had been nagging him a voice.

Bones shrugged, "We were told that the satellite phone was only for emergencies. I didn't think my loneliness qualified as an emergency."

Booth nodded, as he considered how the last ten months of his life could have been different if she had. If he'd heard her voice or read her words in an email or letter, would he have sought solace in Hannah's arms?

Swallowing hard, Booth asked, "If I hadn't come back talking about H –."

Hannah's name suddenly seemed like a curse in light of what could only be described as the miracle of making love to Bones.

"- about someone else, would it have been different?"

Bones sighed, "During our time apart, I considered what you had offered me in the spring. I found myself imagining, dreaming even, what that would be like."

"You dreamed about us?" Booth asked with surprise.

"Yes, in varying capacities."

Booth chuckled at how she could even make a dream sound clinical.

"But, I thought you'd moved on. You seemed happy. You deserved that, and I wouldn't be the one to ruin that for you."

Booth dropped his head to his chest, "I'm sorry. I am sorry I mislead you."

Bones pressed a finger to his lips to silence him.

"We've both hurt one another, Booth. I have wasted too much time protecting myself from emotional pain. We can't change the past."

Booth smiled, "You know, for someone who says they aren't a heart person, you sure do seem to have a lot of insight into matters of the heart."

"I learned from the best," Bones said with a twinkle in her eye.

Booth pressed a kiss to her forehead, "I love you. No one could ever make me happy the way you do, Bones. No one."

Bones nodded and rested her head in the crook of his shoulder. He stroked her hair, wrapping an auburn curl around his finger.

"You look tired," he said with concern, wondering if she had been sleeping as little as he had of late, "You should get some sleep."

Bones nodded sleepily against his shoulder. He pulled the blanket up to cover them more completely from the chill of the January night.

"Good night, Booth," Bones mumbled.

"Good night, Bones," Booth whispered, "I love you."

She didn't respond, and Booth wasn't sure if she was asleep or just not quite ready to utter those words without qualification. For now, it didn't matter. Booth just watched her sleep peacefully, feeling her warm breath against his chest and listening to her shallow, even breathing. His mind returned to something Cam had said to him, "If you love somebody, let them go. If they return, they were always yours. If they don't, they never were."

With Bones sleeping soundly in his arms, he knew that he was always hers, and she would always be his.

~*~ The End or The Beginning ~*~


End file.
